Yellowstone More Popular Than Ever With Kevin Costner Leaving?
Yellowstone has long been a title on the tip of everyone’s tongues since first premiering in 2018. An ever-growing success, the Kevin Costner-led series hit a new high following its network TV premiere over the weekend. Picking up 6.56 million views on its Sunday evening broadcast on CBS, the numbers are expected to eventually land somewhere around 6.82 million, which would mark an uptick of 132 percent viewership compared to its original premiere on the Paramount Network.
Yellowstone‘s network premiere on CBS had more viewers than its debut on the Paramount Network.
CBS picked up the fan-favorite series back in July, giving audiences a little something extra for those Sunday nights following the kick-off of football season. The series, in turn, is also doing a major service to CBS as, with the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the network needed something to fill in the time with Yellowstone being the perfect solution to its problems.
While the show has gained enough attention on its own, it also certainly doesn’t hurt that the upcoming second half of the fifth season will be its last with Kevin Costner essentially putting the nail in the show’s coffin.
Rumors about Yellowstone’s cancellation began swirling around this time last year when it was suspected that Kevin Costner was looking for a way out of his run as John Dutton. Setting his sights on his own work, a film project and franchise hopeful titled Horizon, the actor was ready to pass over the reins and move on.
With a hint of bad blood between Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, the whispers surrounding what was going on behind the scenes were almost even juicier than the show’s storylines.
Rumors about Yellowstone’s cancellation began swirling around this time last year when it was suspected that Kevin Costner was looking for a way out of his run as John Dutton.
In Yellowstone, Kevin Costner stars as John Dutton, a ranch owner and the patriarch of a family thirsty for more power and control. By the first part of the most recent season, audiences watched as John was sworn in as the governor of Montana with his family by his side, each with their own dreams of power. Along with Costner, the cast also includes Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Jefferson White, and more.
Even though Yellowstone is coming to an end, Taylor Sheridan has created an empire within the fictional family and beyond.
Following the finale of the first half of Yellowstone’s fifth season on New Year’s Day, audiences have been eager to learn when they can expect the next and final chapter in the Dutton’s book. While new episodes were initially expected to land in 2023, it’s anyone’s guess when Kevin Costner will take his final ride as John Dutton as the writers’ and actors’ strikes have thrown a wrench into the production’s plans.
Even though Yellowstone is coming to an end, Taylor Sheridan has created an empire within the fictional family and beyond. Set for a second season, the prequel series 1923 will see Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren return for more action while Matthew McConaughey is also set to appear in yet another Yellowstone spin-off. Up next, audiences can tune in for Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which, besides being a spin-off of the Yellowstone prequel series 1883, will also likely launch a new anthology franchise.
